What is an IEP?
Kids with delayed skills or other disabilities might be eligible for special services that provide individualized education programs in public schools, free of charge to families. Parents can work with educators to develop a plan — the individualized education plan (IEP) — to help kids succeed in school. The IEP describes the goals the team sets for a child during the school year, as well as any special support needed to help achieve them. These goals don't necessarily have to be educational goals, but they can be goals directed towards social skills, as well.
Who Needs an IEP?
A child who has difficulty learning and functioning and has been identified as a special needs student is the perfect candidate for an IEP. Kids struggling in school may qualify for support services, allowing them to be taught in a special way, for reasons such as:
What does the IEP contain?
- long-term goals with what the IEP team expects the student to achieve in the year
- short-term objectives that can be measured
- special education and related services that the student will receive
- ways to report progress to the parents
- accommodations for the student
How to Use the IEP in the Classroom - Teaching Strategies and Accommodations
Examples of the individualized teaching strategies that may be identified in the IEP:
using special resources such as reading material that is consistent with students' reading levels and learning styles, and videotapes, audiotapes, and other audio-visual materials that give learning experiences greater breadth and depth
using learning resources that provide direct experiences of seeing and touching (i.e., tactile materials)
providing enrichment units, additional readings, and other opportunities (e.g., problems to solve) that extend learning
using a variety of teaching and learning strategies, such as special interest groupings for research projects; peer partners, collaborative groups, and cross-age tutoring; mentorship programs; and independent study plans
collaborating with resource teachers, teacher-librarians, and other professionals
simplifying the language of instruction
providing opportunities for performance in areas of special talent
providing all students with strategies for understanding and accepting exceptional students and integrating them into the regular classroom
Examples of the individualized accommodations that may be identified in the IEP:
giving students extra time to complete classroom assignments
allowing students to complete tasks or present information in alternative ways (e.g., through taped answers, demonstrations, dramatizations, role play)
allowing students to tape lessons for more intensive review at a later time
providing a variety of learning tools, such as adapted computers for completing writing tasks and calculators for completing numeracy tasks
providing for the use of scribes
using pictorial schedules to assist students in making transitions
What is an IEP?
Kids with delayed skills or other disabilities might be eligible for special services that provide individualized education programs in public schools, free of charge to families. Parents can work with educators to develop a plan — the individualized education plan (IEP) — to help kids succeed in school. The IEP describes the goals the team sets for a child during the school year, as well as any special support needed to help achieve them. These goals don't necessarily have to be educational goals, but they can be goals directed towards social skills, as well.
Who Needs an IEP?
A child who has difficulty learning and functioning and has been identified as a special needs student is the perfect candidate for an IEP. Kids struggling in school may qualify for support services, allowing them to be taught in a special way, for reasons such as:
Sources: http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/iep.html#
What does the IEP contain?
- long-term goals with what the IEP team expects the student to achieve in the year
- short-term objectives that can be measured
- special education and related services that the student will receive
- ways to report progress to the parents
- accommodations for the student
http://www.tsbvi.edu/technology/tech-institute/iep.htm
How to Use the IEP in the Classroom - Teaching Strategies and Accommodations
Examples of the individualized teaching strategies that may be identified in the IEP:
- using special resources such as reading material that is consistent with students' reading levels and learning styles, and videotapes, audiotapes, and other audio-visual materials that give learning experiences greater breadth and depth
- using learning resources that provide direct experiences of seeing and touching (i.e., tactile materials)
- providing enrichment units, additional readings, and other opportunities (e.g., problems to solve) that extend learning
- using a variety of teaching and learning strategies, such as special interest groupings for research projects; peer partners, collaborative groups, and cross-age tutoring; mentorship programs; and independent study plans
- collaborating with resource teachers, teacher-librarians, and other professionals
- simplifying the language of instruction
- providing opportunities for performance in areas of special talent
- providing all students with strategies for understanding and accepting exceptional students and integrating them into the regular classroom
Examples of the individualized accommodations that may be identified in the IEP:http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/iep/iep.html#5.
Writing the IEP:
The IEP team must also discuss specific information about the child. This includes:
- The child's strengths;
- The parents' ideas for enhancing their child's education;
- The results of recent evaluations or reevaluations; and
- How the child has done on state and district-wide tests.
- In addition, the IEP team must consider the "special factors" described in the box below.
It is important that the discussion of what the child needs be framed around how to help the child:- Advance toward the annual goals;
- Be involved in and progress in the general curriculum;
- Participate in extracurricular and nonacademic activities; and
- Be educated with and participate with other children with disabilities and non-disabled children.
http://www.ldonline.org/article/6398